Pest Algae Refugium as nutrient export

[JMaccaz]

So guys last night I was out fishing and couldn't stop thinking about my tank and wanted to run an idea by use guys and see what everyone thinks.

So currently have a refugium with Caulerpa in it but it is having a hard time growing due to pest algae that keeps on out competing it this is most probably due to a lack of flow but I am renting and don't have enough power points to put more equipment on the tank.

So I was thinking about pulling out the Caulerpa and putting some rock in the Fuge and purposely letting the pest algae grow on it as a way to soak up excess nutrients in the tank.

I was then thinking about putting some turbo snails in there to keep it under control and using the skimmer to export the waste that they produce from eating the algae instead of pulling out the algae manually for waste export.

Do use guys think that it will be an effective nutrient export or did I just think way to hard while I was fishing?

 

[Cichlid Dad]

The tight rope is keeping the pest algae out of the main display. I thought the same thing and let it grow but it ended up in the display after a while. I'm going back to keeping the pest algae out.

 

[JMaccaz]

Hmm yeah I see that could be a definite problem did you also have snails and such in the display that ate the algae as it grew?

I used to use carbon dosing to control my nutrients but unfortunately gfo is just to expensive for me to use to control phosphates

 

[bobnicaragua]

Cheato outcompetes almost everything.

 

[Dan_P]

So guys last night I was out fishing and couldn't stop thinking about my tank and wanted to run an idea by use guys and see what everyone thinks.

So currently have a refugium with Caulerpa in it but it is having a hard time growing due to pest algae that keeps on out competing it this is most probably due to a lack of flow but I am renting and don't have enough power points to put more equipment on the tank.

So I was thinking about pulling out the Caulerpa and putting some rock in the Fuge and purposely letting the pest algae grow on it as a way to soak up excess nutrients in the tank.

I was then thinking about putting some turbo snails in there to keep it under control and using the skimmer to export the waste that they produce from eating the algae instead of pulling out the algae manually for waste export.

Do use guys think that it will be an effective nutrient export or did I just think way to hard while I was fishing?

Some thoughts

The Caulerpa is probably not being outcompeted, but rather the conditions being provided are pest algae.conditions, not Caulerpa algae conditions. You suspect this because you pointed out the lack of flow.

Growing pest algae could be an effective way to remove nitrate. Regularly harvesting it will be the only way to export nitrogen.

Putting snails in the refugium to eat the pest algae will release the nitrogen back into the aquarium.

 

[Solo McReefer]

So guys last night I was out fishing and couldn't stop thinking about my tank and wanted to run an idea by use guys and see what everyone thinks.

So currently have a refugium with Caulerpa in it but it is having a hard time growing due to pest algae that keeps on out competing it this is most probably due to a lack of flow but I am renting and don't have enough power points to put more equipment on the tank.

So I was thinking about pulling out the Caulerpa and putting some rock in the Fuge and purposely letting the pest algae grow on it as a way to soak up excess nutrients in the tank.

I was then thinking about putting some turbo snails in there to keep it under control and using the skimmer to export the waste that they produce from eating the algae instead of pulling out the algae manually for waste export.

Do use guys think that it will be an effective nutrient export or did I just think way to hard while I was fishing?

Nm

I am way too new, for so much snark

Seriously, when I made my first algae scrubber flow thingy, it only grew Purple cyano. No algae

Every couple weeks, I would discard it. No cyano in the tank, obviously. It never once grew algae, even after 'seeding' with green hair algae

Go to YouTube, search DIY algae scrubber

It's been around for a very long time. bRS even sells pro versions of them now

 

[Levinson]

Just a thought but I think you could also place a platform like a roughed-up plastic screen of an algae scrubber where the pest algae can grow near the surface of the water, closer to the light for your refugium. Pull out the screen and remove the algae from there. It would be like an algae turf scrubber.

 

[VintageReefer]

Cheato outcompetes almost everything.

Turf algae outcompetes cheato and hair algae, it grows faster and depending on the source can absorb and hold 5-8x the amount of nutrients compared to an identical amount of cheato

My reef, aside from live rock, is 100% filtered by turf algae. I don’t even do water changes

A proper sized / built scrubber will grow and contain turf algae And can handle nutrient control in many situations

 

[GARRIGA]

Tried running that experiment which went horribly wrong with dinos and no clue why but ultimately did get it under control. One factor that helped was adding pom pom macroalgae to a HOB Fuge which worked until GHA took that over. Next iteration will be just growing GHA in a HOB and see how that goes. Can't beat it. Let it join you.

Probably why an ATS more pragmatic for most yet I wanted the simplicity of pulling algae vs scraping it off.

Below I found inspiration to try this vs going the traditional method.

 

[VintageReefer]

Tried running that experiment which went horribly wrong with dinos and no clue why but ultimately did get it under control. One factor that helped was adding pom pom macroalgae to a HOB Fuge which worked until GHA took that over. Next iteration will be just growing GHA in a HOB and see how that goes. Can't beat it. Let it join you.

Probably why an ATS more pragmatic for most yet I wanted the simplicity of pulling algae vs scraping it off.

Below I found inspiration to try this vs going the traditional method.

With the surf series of scrubbers you just pull the algae out, there is no screen.

I just grab a handful every week and whatever comes out in 1-2 handfuls I remove and whatever’s stuck I leave behind to grow out

 

[GARRIGA]

With the surf series of scrubbers you just pull the algae out, there is no screen.

I just grab a handful every week and whatever comes out in 1-2 handfuls I remove and whatever’s stuck I leave behind to grow out

I'm aware of your scrubber and looking to have similar solution using pot scrubbers another brought to my attention placed in an AquaClear 110. Pull the scrubbers and replace with new then drop old in peroxide and let it sit for a spell meaning I do the least

Going to also first test with sponges and see how that goes.

 

[GARRIGA]

Pot scrubbers another posted. Seems like a brilliant idea to me. Search pot scrubbers and you'll see who posted it. I'm bad remembering names and looking to take credit for this. His pic too

 

[GARRIGA]

Ended up overpaying and getting these because too lazy to go to the Dollar Store ( where likely nothing a dollar anymore) and prefer grey tones over rainbows. Not that there's anything wrong with rainbows. I'm just a monotone kind of guy

 

[VintageReefer]

Ended up overpaying and getting these because too lazy to go to the Dollar Store ( where likely nothing a dollar anymore) and prefer grey tones over rainbows. Not that there's anything wrong with rainbows. I'm just a monotone kind of guy

I’m a monotone guy also. Gray. Black. Perfect haha

Those work out to less than a dollar each. I would say it’s a deal

Pot scrubbers have more usable surface area for bacteria than matrix, bio balls, and almost anything else. Highly efficient.

I’m curious (optimistically curious) to the results you will achieve, I hope you share them here.

 

[GARRIGA]

I’m a monotone guy also. Gray. Black. Perfect haha

Those work out to less than a dollar each. I would say it’s a deal

Pot scrubbers have more usable surface area for bacteria than matrix, bio balls, and almost anything else. Highly efficient.

I’m curious (optimistically curious) to the results you will achieve, I hope you share them here.

You know I’ll share

As for effectiveness. Can’t find the link to the one who told me about using the pot scrubbers. He’d be better equipped to speak about it now. Visualizing how algae grows on plastic knitting and other surfaces I gotta believe this will too.

However, double stacking the AquaClear foam might also and brings one large surface area and having water upwell might have greater surface area by also providing biological and place for heterotrophs to decompose detritus to feed that algae. At least that’s my thought process. Make nature work for me because cleaning skimmate never been my thing

 

[VintageReefer]

You know I’ll share

As for effectiveness. Can’t find the link to the one who told me about using the pot scrubbers. He’d be better equipped to speak about it now. Visualizing how algae grows on plastic knitting and other surfaces I gotta believe this will too.

However, double stacking the AquaClear foam might also and brings one large surface area and having water upwell might have greater surface area by also providing biological and place for heterotrophs to decompose detritus to feed that algae. At least that’s my thought process. Make nature work for me because cleaning skimmate never been my thing

One possible issue would be shading. With pot scrubbers or stacked foam,you will have the outer layer of algae blocking light from reaching below, effective growing algae only on the surface of the materials

 

[GARRIGA]

One possible issue would be shading. With pot scrubbers or stacked foam,you will have the outer layer of algae blocking light from reaching below, effective growing algae only on the surface of the materials

Similar setup going on the AquaClear and with the height above the water should reduce shading. The algae was growing around the rim of the internal Tidal basket causing water to spill over. Another reason that for this application I went with the AquaClear as it has taller sides and should allow growth to occupy more of the filter.

Tried stacking the Tidal blue foam on this but those would clog too quickly. Why I first want to try the AquaClear foam stacked but if that gets clogged then the pot scrubbers might allow more flow. Last resort is plastic knitting as in the second video I posted. First try will be how he ran the foam in the Fuge area and grew algae there.

 

[GARRIGA]

One possible issue would be shading. With pot scrubbers or stacked foam,you will have the outer layer of algae blocking light from reaching below, effective growing algae only on the surface of the materials

I misread that.

I'm not trying to grow algae other than as a top layer on the scrubbers or foam. Think ATS screen without having to deal with scraping those screens.

Below the algae mostly area for heterotrophic activity on decomposing detritus. Between cleanings.

 

[VintageReefer]

I misread that.

I'm not trying to grow algae other than as a top layer on the scrubbers or foam. Think ATS screen without having to deal with scraping those screens.

Below the algae mostly area for heterotrophic activity on decomposing detritus. Between cleanings.

Ahh I gotcha